Why is school attendance so important?

We believe that every child deserves to be involved in quality education, affecting not only individual children but their entire communities.

Graduation vs dropout

School attendance is the biggest indicator in determining a student's likelihood to graduate high school. Poor school attendance almost always leads to poor grades, which in turn leads to even lower motivation for a student to attend and try hard in school. This feedback loop continues until students make it nearly impossible for themselves to graduate on time, which among other factors, ultimately leads to dropout.

lost earnings

Youth who fail to graduate and earn a high school diploma (and do not alternatively earn their GED) earn hundreds of thousands of dollars less than those who graduate high school. High school graduates will statistically earn 50%-100% more over the course of their lives than those who fail to finish high school.

Dropouts from one year alone in the United States cost the nation over $300 billion in lost wages, taxes, and productivity over their lifetimes. Living in poverty becomes an often near-certainty for those who do not graduate high school.

criminal justice system involvement

Youth who do not graduate high school are significantly more likely to end up in the criminal justice system. High school dropouts occupy our jails and prisons at a rate over 6x higher than that of high school graduates.

Even those who squeak by academically have a much higher likelihood of incarceration as an adult. For example, male high school graduates with a "D" average have been found to be 14 times more likely to be arrested as an adult than those with an "A" average.